In the gallery by Paul Harrison
Street photographer Paul Harrison’s project explores the possibility of the magic of coincidence in the everyday life of London’s major art galleries.
When you grow up in the countryside like I did you walk everywhere. Public transport was infrequent enough to be close to mythical and being driven somewhere would involve intense negotiations as to whether chores had been completed, so walking was it but in a very small slice of rural Norfolk and over and over again. Not bad training for street photography.
I moved to London twenty-something years ago and didn’t stop walking. I learned so much repeatedly walking around London that my job for the majority of that time has been as a tour guide. I notice things and people pay me. Not bad training for street photography.
I’ve been taking pictures since early 2020. Apart from a few holiday snaps with my phone, I had zero experience with a camera but had an idea of what I like and how repetition could be a key to taking those pictures. Walk, notice, repeat.
From pretty much day one I have been also taking my street photography into London’s art galleries/museums. I spent enough time in them before having a camera that it seemed a natural extension of me putting in the miles outside. I love capturing an everyday surrealism that is, the vast majority of the time, invisible to us all. If it’s happening where I go then there is no reason why it’s not happening everywhere. It’s a thought that brings me a lot of happiness.
March 2024 saw the release of my first zine which was a collection of some of my art gallery photos. I was lucky enough that it was released on Bump Books and doubly lucky that it sold out in a slightly silly amount of time. I still regularly pinch myself. Next year I intend to release at least one more zine and to continue working on what may in future become a book. If anyone is interested in my photography, I sell postcards through my web-shop and get in contact if you fancy joining a workshop or having me talk to your camera club etc. I have often been shooting in, amongst others, both London’s Tates and the National Portrait Gallery, but most of my gallery photographs have been taken in the National Gallery.
Paul purchased his first second-hand camera, a Fujifilm 23mm f2, in 2020 and it remains his primary camera. A few months after acquiring the camera, he began practicing street photography. His photos reflect a strong sense of British humor and do not employ artistic effects such as slow shutter speed, camera shake, or flash. Instead, he captures everyday surreal moments, believing that reality already contains strange and unexpected occurrences, which can be noticed by anyone who takes the time. These moments may be simple, such as snippets of odd conversations, amusing things witnessed on the way home from work, or people in art galleries unintentionally mirroring nearby artwork. One doesn't even need a camera to capture these moments.
